A garment assembly includes a garment and a temporary hemming element. The garment comprises at least one fold wherein a portion of the garment is folded back upon itself. The temporary hemming element comprises a pin having a distal end extending from a second side of an outer portion. The outer portion is located on the garment so that the pin extends through the fold until it penetrates completely through the fold. An inner portion of the temporary hemming element receives the distal end of the pin of the outer portion to create a temporary decorative hem.
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1. A garment assembly comprising:
a garment having an extending portion comprising at least one fold wherein a portion of the garment is folded back upon itself;
a temporary hemming element comprising an outer portion, an inner portion, and a pin having a first end connected to one of the outer portion and inner portion and a distal end;
the outer portion comprising a first, decorative side, and a second side opposite the first side;
the temporary hemming element located on the garment so that the pin extends through the fold until it penetrates completely through the fold;
at least one of the inner portion and the outer portion configured to temporarily secure the distal end of the pin.
14. A method for temporarily decoratively altering a garment comprising:
(a) providing a garment;
(b) folding at least a portion of the fabric over upon itself to create a folded portion, the folded portion having an inward side facing the skin of the wearer and an outward side facing away from the skin of the wearer;
(c) providing at least one temporary hemming element comprising an outer portion, an inner portion, and a pin having a distal end;
the outer portion comprising a first, decorative side, a second side opposite the first side;
at least one of the outer portion and the inner portion configured to temporarily secure the distal end of the pin;
(d) pushing the distal end of the pin through the folded portion so that the distal end of the pin extends through the folded portion until it penetrates completely through the folded portion;
(e) attaching the inner portion to the outer portion.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional No. 60/248,015, filed Nov. 13, 2000, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to temporarily and decoratively altering garments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Clothing is generally mass produced in a variety of sizes. Most casual clothing can be purchased in a range of sizes, and requires no alteration. On the other hand, some formal clothing is manufactured to be tailored when purchased to more accurately fit the purchaser. For example, slacks are made with very long legs so that purchasers of different heights having roughly the same waist size can purchase the slacks and have the leg length altered before wearing them. These alterations are effectively permanent because in order to have the slacks resized, the wearer must be return to the tailor, get remeasured, and if sufficient fabric is left (e.g., in a cuff), have the legs length altered.
Although generally acceptable, this system of permanent alteration does not very well address the different contexts in which a pair of slacks are worm. For example, different styles of shoes may be worn that effectively change the desired length of the slacks (i.e., high heels may require longer slack legs than flat shoes). In that case, the slack legs are either made for heels (and therefore are too long for flat shoes), or they are made for flat shoes (and therefore too short for heels). Custom tailoring each pair of slacks for each pair of shoes, while possible, is not very economical.
Furthermore, clothing for children quickly gets outgrown as the child gets older. Thus, hemming, altering, or folding up sleeves, pant legs, etc., of children's clothing is often used since much of the time clothing for children is purchased with “room to grow.” Moreover, children often like to fold or alter clothing for decorative purposes. However, folding or other altering may not always be visually pleasing, nor does it always provide the capability of holding the clothing securely in place.
Various devices are used in conjunction with clothing. For example, it is known to attach a safety pin to a piece of clothing to hold it up. However, such pins are not very attractive and can be difficult to attach if multiple folds or thick fabric is involved. Also, tie tacks are known, which serve primarily to hold a tie close to the shirt of the wearer. Of course, a wide variety of buttons and pins have been attached to clothing for decoration or identification of the wearer, e.g., decorative pins or nametags.
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a garment assembly that includes a garment and a temporary hemming element. The garment has an extending portion that comprises at least one fold wherein a portion of the garment is folded back upon itself. The temporary hemming element comprises an outer portion and an inner portion. The outer portion of the temporary hemming element comprises a first, decorative side, a second side opposite the first side, and a pin having a distal end extending from the second side. The outer portion is located on the garment so that the pin extends through the fold until it penetrates completely through the fold. The inner portion of the temporary hemming element comprises an aperture configured to temporarily secure the distal end of the pin of the outer portion. It will be appreciated that in another assembly the pin can extend from the inner portion to be temporarily secured to the outer portion.
In another embodiment, the present invention comprises a method for temporarily, decoratively altering a garment. A garment is provided. At least a portion of the garment is folded over upon itself to create a folded portion. The folded portion has an inward side facing the skin of the wearer and an outward side facing away from the skin of the wearer. At least one temporary hemming element is provided that comprises an outer portion and an inner portion. The outer portion comprises a first, decorative side, a second side opposite the first side, and a pin having a distal end. The pin extends from the second side. The inner portion comprises an aperture configured to temporarily secure the distal end of the pin of the outer portion. The distal end of the pin of the outer portion is pushed through the folded portion so that the distal end of the pin extends through the folded portion until it penetrates completely through the folded portion. The inner portion is attached to the outer portion so that the distal end of the pin of the outer portion extends through the aperture. This method is repeated for each of the at least one temporary hemming element.
In another embodiment, the present invention comprises a temporary hemming apparatus for altering the size of a garment having a folded-over portion. The temporary hemming apparatus comprises an outer portion configured to attach to an outer portion of the garment. The outer portion comprises a first, decorative side, and a second side opposite the first side configured to abut the folded-over portion of the garment. An inner portion comprises a first side configured to abut the folded-over portion of the garment, and a second side that is configured to reside proximate the wearer. The temporary hemming apparatus also comprises an elongate piercing member having a distal end. At least one of the inner portion and outer portion is configured to secure the distal end of the elongate piercing member.
These embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiments disclosed.
Having thus summarized the general nature of the invention, certain preferred embodiments and modifications thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description herein having reference to the figures that follow, of which:
A garment assembly is disclosed wherein a garment is temporarily and decoratively hemmed, or altered. Many different types of garments can be temporarily and decoratively hemmed using the embodiments disclosed herein, e.g., a shirt (see FIG. 1A), or a pair of slacks or pants (see FIG. 1B). Different embodiments of the apparatus and methods disclosed herein also could be applied to a skirt, a dress, shorts, and socks. Other garments could also be altered by the embodiments described herein, as will be understood by one skilled in the art. As used herein, the term “garment” is a broad term and is used in its ordinary sense and is intended to include, without being limited to, clothing, clothing accessories, and a variety of household items, such as curtains, drapes, bed linens, slipcovers, and shower curtains. Each of these garments can be altered by the embodiments described herein. In addition, the embodiments disclosed herein could be used to secure two or more fabric objects together, such as securing comforters to duvet covers.
As shown in
The apparatus and method disclosed herein advantageously permit more than one length of overlap of the extending portion 15 of the garment 10. By increasing the number of lengths of overlap, the garment assembly may be more extensively and dramatically altered. This can enable the wearer of the garment to change a full-length sleeve to a three-quarter length sleeve, or even to a short sleeve.
As will be understood by one skilled in the art, a garment 10 may include more than one extending portion 15. For example, the garment 10 of
The embodiment of
The elements 30 preferably have an outer portion 35 with a first, decorative side 40. The decorative side might have a stylized cat's face that is white and that has pink ears. In addition, the decorative side 40 might have a heart (shown in FIG. 1A), a star (shown in FIG. 1B), or a diamond. The decorative side 40 could be configured with other decorative figures as well. The decorative side 40 might have a symbol representing affiliation with a group. For example, the decorative side 40 could have a junior high or high school mascot, team name or school symbol or name. Also, the side 40 could equally well be made with a college or professional team mascot, or a college organization's name or symbol. The decorative side 40 can pleasingly be made either to have a generally flat surface or to have a contoured surface. In the flat configuration, the decorative side 40 can be generally more subdued, as might be appropriate for a more formal setting. The contoured configuration of the decorative side 40 might better suit a stronger expression of the wearer's individuality.
The outer portion 35 also has a second side 60 that is opposite the first side 40 (see FIG. 3). The outer portion has a pin 65 that has a distal end 70 and an end 75. The end 75 of the pin 65 is opposite the distal end 70 and is connected to the second side 60 of the outer portion 35. Of course, the pin 65 may be connected to the second side 60 of the outer portion 35 in many ways, as is known in the art. For example, the pin 65 and the outer portion 35 may be integrally made.
As may be seen from
Although the temporary hemming element 30 has been described above as comprising the pin 65 attached to the outer portion 35 and received in the aperture 100 of the inner portion 80, it will be recognized by one skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced with the pin 65 mounted on the inner portion 80 and with the outer portion 35 having the aperture 100 to receive the pin 65. In addition, the temporary hemming element is not limited to being made with a pin, and other methods of attaching an inner portion to an outer portion through a fold of clothing or other material may also be used.
The embodiments disclosed herein have several advantages. For example, the temporary hemming elements 30, 105, 125, 170 make it possible to maintain clothing length, e.g., the hem of pants, shirts, etc., at the correct length. As mentioned above, this can be particularly useful for children who are rapidly growing and for whom clothing is bought that is slightly larger than appropriate. This quick and temporary clothing adjustment is also particularly advantageous for people who wear a variety of shoes with their pants, for example, flat shoes or high heels.
Another advantage of the temporary hemming elements 30, 105, 125, 170 is that they provide a decorative feature for clothing that is flexible in its application. One way in which they are flexible is that the user can purchase one or more elements 30, 105, 125, 170 and use them as appropriate for more formal occasions or for casual occasions. The elements 30, 105, 125, 170 are also flexible in that they can be applied in other ways to clothing or household items. The elements could also be used to attach cuffs, lace, scarves, collars, hoods, decorative patches, nametags, etc., to clothing. In the home, the elements 30, 105, 125, 170 can be used to attach ribbons, embroidery, tassels, trim, and other decorative elements to furnishings, curtains, etc. The elements 30, 105, 125, 170 are also flexible in that they also can be used to fasten many items. For example, they can be used to fasten tiebacks to drapes and in lieu of or to replace buttons on clothing. Being decorative in nature, the elements 30, 105, 125, 170 can also be applied to various accessories to decorate them. For example, one or more of the elements could be applied to a purse, a belt, or a backpack to decorate them. The elements 30, 105, 125, 170 can also be used to decorate the home.
It will be appreciated that various methods may be used with the apparatus above. In particular, methods of temporarily and decoratively altering clothing can be practiced with the above apparatus. Also, decorative securement of one fabric object to another can be practiced.
Although this invention has been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow.
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